Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, which premiered in the West End in 1989, where it ran for over 12 years, originally at the Victoria Palace Theatre and subsequently the Strand (now the Ivor Novello), is to return for a 2016 U.K. tour.

It has also been produced on Broadway, where it ran at the Shubert Theatre in 1990, and has further been produced internationally in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Holland, Finland, Ireland, Japan and Singapore.

The new tour will begin performances at Harlow Playhouse in Essex Aug. 31, 2016, ahead of a 14-week tour that will also visit Skegness, Chesterfield, Guildford, Watford, Portsmouth, High Wycombe, Hayes, Croydon, Swansea, Dartford, Bournemouth, Northampton, Crewe and Swindon.

The show tells the story of the musical icon's meteoric rise to fame and his final legendary performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA, before his tragic and untimely death at the age of 22. In 18 short months, the Texas-born boy revolutionized the face of contemporary music influencing everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen. The show includes such songs as "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy" and "Rave On."

In a press statement, Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, commented, "When we opened the show we never imagined Buddy's music and story would still be rocking stages and entertaining audiences around the world week-in week-out over 25 years later. I believe this is testament to a great show – the first of its kind – and to the enduring appeal of Buddy Holly and what he represents; a youthful energy, huge talent and creativity, combined with a determination to make a lasting impression in this world."